LAMP Weekly Mix #309 feat. Doc Brown
It is the start of another great weekend and we have a great new mix from Doc Brown to get it started off in the right way. If you were paying attention last week you may have noticed our guest mix artist was featured in Vanilla Ace's mix with a remix he did for Sebastian Park & So Vogue's track "Vibrate". He also recently released a 3 track EP titled "Wander" out on Vanilla Ace's label Wyldcard Records. That's what he has done just as of late. Over the years Doc has made a name for himself as DJ and producer with tracks out on Phunk Traxx, Go Deeva, Natura Viva, and many more. On the DJ front Doc has taken his signature and widely sought after sound to the stages of EDC multiple times and locations. He has performed at the BPM festival and has an ongoing residency with the Groove Cruise. He put together a really solid mix that really flows through a ton of great tracks. Pop it on the speakers and boogie down. Check out our interview with DOc down below along with the full tracklist!
PZB: Hi Doc and thanks for putting this weeks mix together for LAMP. Just to get us started what do you have in store for our listeners this week with your mix?
DB: The mix is an hour of my favorite tunes at the moment in house, tech-house & techno…you’ll also hear a new one of mine called “Most People” that’s out right now on Vanilla Ace’s WyldCard label. I tend to play a lot of tracks so it’s packed full of music!
PZB:When did you start writing/producing music - and what or who were your early passions and influences? What is about music and/or sound that drew you to it?
DB: The first sound that really drew me to electronic music was the acid 303 sound—Josh Wink and Daft Punk were really big ones for me. I started messing around with making dance tracks, but I was young & it was really just a hobby at the time. It wasn’t until years later that making music really took shape as a career.
PZB:You have put in some hard work to earn places to play at multiple EDC events and aboard the Groove Cruise among many other events and venues. What would be some good advice you have for some of the striving musicians out there that have aspirations to do the same?
DB: Work hard, be true to yourself, have a ton of patience, and just keep going. Do your best to network with the people you want to know. Prizes aside, a contest can be a great way to get your music in front of people that matter…both Insomniac and Groove Cruise run contests and that’s how I originally became involved with both.
PZB:What was your first studio like? How and for what reasons has your set-up evolved over the years and what are currently some of the most important pieces of gear for you?
DB: I’ve been in the same place now for quite a while so my first studio is my current studio. The room is a unique second bedroom with a lofted bed; it once was the garage. The basics are the keys for me—I have a good multi-monitor setup and the room’s shape is great for acoustics. For recording, I use an UAD Apollo Twin and a Sterling Audio condenser mic on almost everything. When it comes to production, I’ve experimented both with analog summing and ‘pushing air’ but realistically most everything I do is inside the box…I use my M-Audio Oxygen25 for almost all MIDI input, and my software tools are all top-of-the-line.
PZB:Production tools, from instruments to complex software environments, contribute to the compositional process. How does this manifest itself in your work? Can you describe the relationship between yourself and your tools?
DB: From a compositional perspective, I tend to be pretty manual. I like playing basslines and drum patterns/rhythms by hand. I like to map automations to knobs and ‘play’ them (rather than drawing them in). When it comes to FX and sound design, I go the opposite way & get wildly creative with all that computer power. I tend to use a lot of macros to create sounds & textures I wouldn’t otherwise be able to come up with on my own.
PZB:Could you take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work? Do you have a fixed schedule? How do music and other aspects of your life feed back into each other - do you separate them or instead try to make them blend seamlessly?
DB: For me, every day is different...which I like. Whether I have a radioshow due, a remix deadline looming, or I’m preparing for a gig—each has their own unique micro tasks that need to be done. I am usually pretty good at knowing how long it’s going to take me to do each one, so at that point I mentally schedule everything out. Somehow it all seems to get done, more or less! Music is always all around me; even when I’m not working on it, it’s the background to everything I do. It’s both passion & inspiration.
PZB:Have you always been a musician or is it something you picked up later in life and at what point did you decide that music was going to be your path?
DB: For as long as I can remember I’ve been into music; I played guitar and was in a band in high school. I knew before college that I wanted to be around music full-time, so I studied music business and the first part of my life was on the industry side…I worked mostly for and with record labels, doing A&R administration, publishing and production. Eventually I decided to take DJing and producing music more seriously and turned what was my hobby into a career.
PZB:Our industry is constantly going through changes, and we as artists are competing for ears with so many others out there. On the flip, listeners are bombarded and overwhelmed with the amount of music out there. How do you try to connect with your audience, and what do you feel helps you stay relevant?
DB: I find for me, it’s still at the point where the connections are very personal. I definitely see a bunch of the same people at my shows over and over, so I like to maintain a relationship with them both online and at events. I’m lucky to have such fun and passionate fans—they’re my greatest advocates and I owe a lot of my success to them!
PZB:When you sit down to make a track, what are some initial things you always do before getting started? Do you usually have something already in mind before you set out to start crafting the song?
DB: Before I start, it’s really important to me to be in a clear state of mind. This means my workspace needs to be clean, and anything that could cause me a worry or distraction needs to minimized. Then when I begin writing, I try to not have any preconceived notion or idea of what I might come up with—I simply write. The ideas that are good and continue to resonate with me over a number of days are the ones I’ll pursue and turn into complete tracks.
PZB:To be constantly making art is a difficult and taxing endeavor. When you’re stuck and cannot seem to get out of a creative rut, what do you do to get inspired?
DB: They say writers block comes from an incomplete palette, so whenever I’m tired or lack inspiration I try to get out and experience more of what life has to offer. Sometimes just going outside and looking at nature can be enough, or I might need to take a day or two off to reset my head. Luckily I’m pretty cued in on all that and am able to keep things in balance.
PZB:What has been you favorite moment of 2019 so far?
DB: EDC Las Vegas was really special to me. The Insomniac Records and Corona Electric Beach teams have both been so supportive of me, so being able to share that experience with them was amazing. Adding to that, a friend of mine was commissioned to design and do the lighting for the stage I played on—so the whole thing was pretty magical!
PZB:Is there anything else coming up in your world that we should know or you want to tell us about that we should be keeping an eye/ ear out for?
DB: I’ve just signed two tracks to Roger Sanchez’ Undr The Radr and will be playing the label party on the upcoming Groove Cruise in January, so definitely be on the lookout for that. Needless to say, I’m super excited about both!
PZB:Thank you so much for your time and the incredible mix you put together. Please keep us posted on future releases and we would love to see you in Los Angeles soon.
Track List
- Ardalan - Recalibration (Original Mix)
- Mauro Venti - Friendzone (Original Mix)
- CAAL & Baum - Mama Drama (Eli Brown Remix Feat. Solo Tamas)
- Doc Brown - Most People (Original Mix)
- Ocean Roulette & VNSSA - Magic (Morelia Remix)
- Classmatic & Pexmax - Hippie N' House (Original Mix)
- Flash 89 - Vibrate (Original Mix)
- Billy Kenny - Trippy (Orignal Mix) vs. Prok & Fitch - Homie (Original Mix)
- Simon Kidzoo - Gah Damn (Extended Mix)
- Stormasound & Ivan Cappello - Work It Out (Extended Mix)
- Nathan Barato & Kevin Knapp - Funk Police (Original Mix)
- Boris Roodbwoy & Andrew Rai - Get Whipped (Original Club Mix)
- TomCole - Mojo (Original Mix)
- Ganesha Cartel - Jacker (Original Mix)
- Wheats - By Myself (Extended Mix Feat. Dan Diamond)
- Aday Chinea - Do It (Original Mix)
- Carlos Kinn & Rio Dela Duna - No Jack (Extended Mix)
- Camilo Do Santos - Myself (Original Mix)
- Ayarez - Sweat (Original Mix)
- Stanley Kubrix - Good Technique (Original Mix)
- Aylen - Therapy (Original Mix)
- Marc Ross - Every Night (Original Mix)
- Eli Brown - Burning (Original Mix)
- John Summit & Eyes Everywhere - Seen It All (Extended Mix)
- Codes & Proper Villains - Doin' It (Original Mix)
- Mike Ivy & DJ Gomi - Touch (Extended Mix Feat. Luv Junkie)
- Level Groove - Exit (Original Mix) vs. Drake - God's Plan (Matt Sassari Bootleg)
- Alex Twitchy - The Ground (Original Mix)
- Haus On Fire - Trophy Girl (Extended Mix)
- Superstrobe - In God's House (Original Mix)
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